Triumph of Love
by Lady of Quidditch
Summary: NOTE: Not for people who hate romantic endings ;) Ginny is dying and Harry realizes how much he cares for her. Can love bring people back from the brink of death? Look for the sequal in the upcoming 'WEASLEY FAMILY REUNION'!


TRIUMPH OF LOVE  
By: Lady Weasley  
  
AUTHORS'S NOTE: I wrote this during titration in Chemistry. It is not the most coherent piece of writing ever done, but it's cute, sweet, gagging-ly romantic and fairy-tale like, so if you aren't in the mod for mushy, go away.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Sirius Black, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, the Weasley family and all other Harry Potter Characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I am making no money off this - I d have a crappy job at a gift shop, where I make minimum wage and 99.9% of that goes to gas and insurance, sigh.  
  
Now, on with the show!!!  
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Harry Potter ran faster than he normally ever could of. *No, no, oh God no, please not Ginny* Ron was panting behind him, tears streaming sown his face. He burst through the door to the Infirmary wing at Hogwarts and saw the crowd in the tiny room.  
  
On a chair was Sirius Black, left eye patched, right eye filled with worry as he stared onto the bed. Remus Lupin was nursing a broken leg, perched precariously on the arm of Sirius's chair. Severus Snape was kneeling in front of another chair, showing more emotion than Harry had ever seen - his lip was trembling and his dark eyes were bloodshot, painting medicine over a nasty gash on Hermione's forehead as she squirmed and tried to look at Ginny.  
  
The whole Weasley family was there. Arthur and Molly watched their only daughter, as if each breath would be her last. Tears were streaming down their faces. Twenty five year old Bill Weasley was supporting his year younger brother Charlie, as the young dragon tamer had buried his head in Bill's chest. Percy, who at twenty-one was the youngest department head at the Ministry of Magic now looked as old as Professor Dumbledore. He was absentmindedly wiping his glasses on his sleeve. The usually mischievous Fred and George were now silent, grim expressions across their faces.  
  
The figure in the bed came into view. The mattress looked too big for the tiny, redheaded body that lay upon it. Ginny Weasley has always been petite, but she seemed so...fragile now, so much smaller. Her body was bandaged from head to foot, her hair wild and matted after a quick washing when they had found her.  
  
Voldemort was dead, the Death Eaters destroyed and in Azkaban. Harry had managed to destroy Voldemort, and there were surprisingly few casualties. Harry had lost no one close to him...except now, possibly Ginny.  
  
"How long has she been like this?" Ron asked quietly. He had been with Harry during Voldemort's defeat, and far from his home and family.  
  
"A week," Bill answered in a dead voice.  
  
A voice that cried with pain and anguish came from behind Harry, and to his surprise it was Professor Snape. "It was my fault," the former Death Eater sobbed, unrestrained. Years of hidden emotions now erupted from the dam that protected them from the outside world. "I was supposed to protect the students. Miss Weasley and Miss Granger had to escape outside. I followed them. I pushed Miss Granger out of the way, but wasn't there to protect Miss Weasley." He buried his face in his sleeve, Hermione bravely and gently patted his arm, unsure of how to react to this broken man before her.  
  
"There was nothing you could do," Remus said gently, looking at Ginny, then at the Potions Master. "You had to make a quick call. You thought Malfoy was stunned.  
  
"He tricked me! He was so determined to hurt so many people - Miss Granger, a 'MudBlood,' me, an ex-Death Eater. And Miss Weasley, just to get back at her father."  
  
Madame Pomfrey entered the room. "You all need rest," she said softly, helping Remus to his feet. "Come on, off to the main Infirmary. There is nothing more you can do here." Hermione supported Sirius, and Severus followed blindly, still muttering to himself.  
  
Harry felt his heart shatter, but he had to be strong. "I'll say with her for a while, " he whispered to the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley gave a watery smile.  
  
"Thank you Harry. You are a hero. Ginny needs one right now." Arthur Weasley helped his wife out of the room, as their children followed, each giving Harry a squeeze on the shoulder for luck.   
  
Harry held Ginny's small and pale, bandaged hand. "Ginny, it's Harry. I hope you can hear me." Not even a flutter of her eyelashes. A lump rose in Harry's throat. "Ginny, please. You...you still have so much to live for - one more year at Hogwarts. Percy's wedding. I know Penelope has asked you to be her Maid of Honor." The words spilled out of his mouth. Her breathing was so shallow, her heart beating so slowly, but bravely. *I can't get hysterical, or Madame Pomfrey will kick me out*   
  
"Please, Ginny."  
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Another week went by. Harry slept days and spent his nights at Ginny's bedside. Harry sat, regretting every action he had made since he had met her. Everyone knew she had a crush on him, but Harry ignored it. Instead he spent his time on unobtainable women like Cho Chang, whom Harry knew would never return his affections. He has pushed down the small lump of jealously when Ginny and Colin Creevey had begun to date, and then remembered his glee when they broke up.  
  
Now Ginny lay here dying. Harry realized how stupid and shallow he had been. Sure, he had been Ginny's friend, but had ignored every attempt she had made to closen that friendship. It was now or never. Harry leaned over, touching Ginny's bruised cheek.  
  
"I love you, Virginia Weasley," he whispered into her ear. Brushing a sweaty strand of hair off her forehead, he leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips, then sat up.  
  
Ginny's eyes fluttered open. "Harry?" a small, cracked voice asked.  
  
Harry felt like he was in a wonderful dream. "Ginny?" he asked incredulously. "You're alive?"  
  
"Unless death is as painful as this, I think so." Her deadpan made Harry smile, and gain back the years he had lost in his nightly vigil.  
  
"Hermione, Professor Snape?"  
  
"Both fine. Hermione will have a scar to tell her children about. Professor Snape you won't recognize. It is like not being able to block you from Malfoy made him realize he is a caring human being."  
  
"Glad it took my near death to make him realize that," Ginny said, shaking her head and wincing. "But there is something else I am wondering if I dreamed or not."  
  
"What, this?" Harry was sick of playing coy. He now knew that life was too precious to be playing games. He kissed her again, only more urgently. She returned the kiss, putting one hand gingerly around his neck.  
  
They broke the kiss, as Ginny's hazel eyes looked impishly into Harry's green ones. "Much better than in those Muggle movies."  
  
Harry laughed, as Ginny turned serious. "I love you, Harry Potter, I have for a long time."  
  
"And it took me almost losing you to realize how much I loved you." He leaned over for another kiss, not noticing the dawn had broken, and sun streamed through the window onto the Weasley family's red hair. Bill gasped, Charlie snickered, Percy about dropped his glasses, Ron gaped and the twins let out wolf whistles. Harry blushed a few shades darker than Ginny's hair.  
  
Molly and Arthur Weasley seemed torn between laughing and crying, seeing their daughter alive, and Harry so embarrassed.  
  
"So sis, when's the wedding?" Charlie finally managed to gasp out, his tears of mirth mingled with tears of sadness, the first now outweighing the second in number.  
  
"Hey, it is the prince's job to awaken the princess from her eternal nap," Ginny shrugged carefully. By this time, the laughter had reached down the hallway and brought a small crowd. Severus Snape pushed though and gently hugged Ginny, then stood in the corner, embarrassed by his display. Sirius led his blushing godson off to bed for a well-deserved nap. Hermione was there when Harry woke up, along with Remus and Sirius, to join the whole group in a small feast up in Dumbledore's quarters. Classes were scheduled to restart the next week, though many of the Slytherins were now orphans, or had at least lost their parents to Azkaban, but Severus Snape would protect them, as he had tried to do for years.  
  
Ginny and Harry became inseparable, and Harry even moved to Hogsmeade for Ginny's last year at Hogwarts, working for the auxiliary branch of Gringotts. Immediately after her graduation they married and lived happily ever after.  
  
THE END 


End file.
